Earlier in the week I had twenty hour transfer in Shanghai. I had one award night with Fairmont that I could apply a suite upgrade as well. These were both about to expire later this month so it made sense to use them for a stay in Shanghai, and I am glad that I did.
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Getting to the hotel from the airport
From the airport I took the Maglev train to the metro station closer to the hotel. In China you should always have the hotel name and address with some diving instructions IN CHINESE for the taxi drivers. There were plenty of taxis available at the station. I had a map that showed the approximate location of the hotel. Taxi found the correct address after I had asked for a help from the Peninsula’s bellman.
Checking in
The Fairmont’s computer system was down but they had everything prepared and ready. I was bit surprised that the person who took me to the suite wasn’t actually award if it was a suite or a regular room. I would have imaged that if you work for a hotel you would know them by heart.
Accommodations – Suite 318
The suite 318 was beautiful. I asked the lady who took me there, whether I would have access to the Fairmont’s Club Lounge, they call them Gold, as well. She wasn’t sure and called someone. The benefits of being a Platinum with Fairmont’s President Club doesn’t include lounge access. Oh well. My upgrade didn’t include the lounge access. I thought that made they would have included
The Suite 318 that I had was beautiful. It was a proper two room suite. I loved the small details like a magnifying glass on the work desk and a pink flamingo next to the flower arrangement on the bedroom. The hotel had been fully renovated recently and the suite was in a pristine condition. The only negative was a bit of a sewerage smell on the toilet. Not sure where it came from.
Fitness center
The fitness center was open from 6AM onwards. I spoke with the front desk around 3:30AM that I would like to use for an hour starting 4:30AM. Hotels, that I have been to, have always been very accommodating for opening the facilities for use after hours. I was first told that they couldn’t do it as they don’t have anything else than the keys to open up the doors. After I was “couching” them for a while and asked the operator to have a word with the duty manager, they came to conclusion that I could use them from 4:30AM. The guy who opened the facilities for me didn’t know how to turn on the treadmill that I was going to use. Luckily, I knew.
In room dining
As I had $100 worth of dining certificates about to expire, I inquired if I could use them for room service. They said that I could, but not for the breakfast. This wasn’t a problem with me. I placed my order with the in room dining at 4:15AM for delivery at 5:45AM. They called me after I had placed my order to let me know that they couldn’t do the salmon plate that I had ordered. I switched to Serrano ham plate next but that too was not going to happen. They suggested a beef carpaccio that I happily accepted.
Conclusion
The location of the hotel was perfect, and I liked the fact that it was an older hotel for Shanghai, although only 80 years old. The suite that I had was fabulous and the service was good. The minor problems I had with the internet, fitness center, and room service order delivered 10 minutes too early wouldn’t deter me staying at a property again when I am back in Shanghai later this spring.
